The White Rabbit

Character Analysis

Character in: Wonderland

The White Rabbit is like a decoy – he's the surprising and interesting thing that Alice follows that leads to all her adventures in Wonderland. He first attracts Alice's attention because he's a contradiction – an animal, but wearing a waistcoat (a vest) and a pocket watch. Intrigued by the juxtaposition of beast and gentleman, Alice hurries after him. As she will soon discover, the White Rabbit's main characteristic is anxiety. He's always worried about being late or about offending someone. But he can also be rude or even cruel, as when he mistakes Alice for his servant and orders her around, or when he tries a variety of violent methods to get the giant Alice out of his house.